Life-belt.



A. MOORE.

7 LIFE BELT. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 16A 1912.

Patented Nov. 26, 1912.

l/VI/ENTOR WITNESSES: fflfiw M w. w J M tnarrn Parr LIFE-BELT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 26, 1912.

Application filed August 16, 1912. Serial No. 715,387.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER Moons, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at 202 lVorcester street, Christchurch, in the Dominion of New Zealand, have invented new and useful Improvements in Life-Belts, of which the followingis a specification. V

This invention relates to life-belts for use in cases of shipwreck and other emergencies to buoy persons up to the water and so prevent them from drowning.

As hitherto constructed. devices of this nature have been liable to several disadvantages which tend to impair their usefulness and render them a source of danger to the wearers. It has been found from experience that a person when drowning usually lies with the face downward in which position the water finds its way through the mouth and nostrils into the lungs and stomach, and further it has been found that a belt which provides equal buoyancy at the chest and back of the wearer does not tend to alter this position of the face in the water but merely supports the trunk portion in an approximately horizontal position upon the water. Again devices of this nature as hitherto constructed have been capable of being worn only one way out thus occasioning delay by attempts to don them incorrectly, while owing to the fact that no provision has been made for adjusting the size of the belt there is a serious danger of its becoming displaced when worn by a child or a person smgller than that for whom it was designed to t.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a construction in which these defects will be overcome while the arrangement is such that the device may be correctly donned and adjusted by the wearer himself without previous knowledge or experience.

In order that the nature of the invention and its construction may be fully understood, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawing which shows the device in an opened-out condition.

1 isa belt comprising a portion 2 adapted to encircle the body beneath the arms and having an opening at the front or point corresponding with the chest of the wearer. Connected with the said encircling portion 2 at a point corresponding with the back of the wearer, is a bifurcated member 4 the two branches or bifurcations 5 which are adapted to be brought forward over the shoulders on either side of the neck of the wearer and. secured at their extremities to the upper edge of the encircling portion 2.

The port-ion 2 and the two branches 5 of the bifurcated member 4 consist of slabs of cork inclosed in a fabric cover as usual in devices of this nature while the web-portion 6 connecting the branches 5 with each other and with the back of the portion 2, consists of fabric without any cork. Thus it will be seen that there will be a preponderance of buoyancy at the front or chest which will tend to place the wearer in an inclined position upon his back so that the mouth and nostrils will be upward above the water. In order to increase this action the cork in the front of the encircling portion may be somewhat thicker than that at the corresponding portion at the back thereof as shown.

To enable the ends of the branches 5 to be attached to the front of the portion 2 as described, each of such ends is provided with a cord 7 adapted to pass through a suitable hole or ring formed through a lug 8 upon the upper edge ofthe portion 2 at the required point, such cords being adapted to be drawn through the said holes in the lugs and secured either by tying their ends together or by simply making knots upon their projecting ends to prevent them from being drawn back through the lugs again.

In practice the cords 7 may be permanent-1y threaded through the lugs and provided upon their extremities with knots or knobs to prevent their withdrawal. The portion 2 is secured together at the opening by means of a cord 9 attached to such portion at one side of the opening and adapted to be drawn through and secured to a lug 10 upon the other side of the opening in a manner similar to that already described. In order that the diameter of the portion 2 may be varied to suit persons of difierent sizes, several lugs 10 may be arranged at various distances from the opening, so that the cord 9 may be secured to any one of such lugs as required.

In order that the device may be worn either side outward,'the abutting edges of the cork slabs are beveled or tapered toward the center and the fabric covering is arranged so as to provide a web between them of sufficient width to oermit of such slabs folding in either direction. The lugs 10 are .also provided upon both surfaces of the portion 2 in order that the attachment of the cord 9 may be effected whichever way the device is worn.

In practice the device with the opening at the front and the cords 7 threaded loosely through the lugs 8 is slipped on either side outward by the wearer in a manner similar to that of putting on an ordinary Waistcoat. The cords 7 are then drawn tight through the lugs 8 and secured so as to adjust the bifurcations to the desired position and prevent the portion 2 from slipping down upon the body and the cord 9 secured to one of the lugs 10 so as to fasten the portion 2 together at the opening and cause it to fit closely around the body of the wearer.

I claim.

1. A device of the character indicated comprising a belt composed of slabs of cork connected together by means of suitable fabric webs and adapted to encircle the waist of the wearer, a bifurcated member similarly constructed and united with the back portion of the said belt by means of a web of fabric the two branches of such bifurcated member being adapted to be passed ber adapted to pass over the shoulders'and chest of the wearer connected with the back of said belt by means of a suitable fabric web, said belt and bifurcated member being composed of slabs of cork connected together by fabric webs of sufficient length to enable the device to be worn either side outward, substantially as set forth.

3. A device of the character indicated comprising a belt composed of slabs of cork connected together by means of suitable fabric web and adapted to encircle the waist of the wearer, anda bifurcated member similarly composed and adapted to pass over the shoulders and chest of the wearer, such bifurcated member being connected with the back portion of the belt by means of a fabric web, an opening formed in the front of said belt and adapted to be drawn together and secured so as to fit the body of the wearer by means of a cord attached to the portion of the belt at oneside of the said opening and adapted to be secured to any one of a series of lugs arranged upon the corresponding portion of the belt at the other side of.

such opening and upon both surfaces of such portion, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALEXANDER MOORE.

Witnesses CYRIL CARLYN OOATES, PERCY RICHMOND CLIMIE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

